1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to aircraft safety devices and, more particularly, to apparatus which deactivates an aircraft engine to prevent accidental contact between a person or object and the propulsion system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Accidents in which people are struck by the rotating propeller of an aircraft or where objects are sucked into the intake of a jet propulsion engine are well known. Often, in boarding an aircraft, particularly small aircraft, passengers often come within dangerously close proximity to the rotating propellers. Not only are passengers at risk, but servicemen, by the manual rotation of the propeller during the servicing procedure, are also at risk in inadvertently starting the engine.
No devices are known which can prevent such accidents. Warning devices, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,564, issued to U. Trampnau, give a signal to the operator, when a portion of the aircraft comes to close to the ground or an obstruction during flight, but such a device is useable only during flight and no automatic deactivation takes place.